I came into Mercy for abdominal pain and we left with a baby. To say our lives changed quickly, is a bit of an understatement. When the ER department announced that I was in fact pregnant and 8 cms, all I could think of was how am I going to do this? My understanding of labor was non-existent. My fiancée immediately jumped into a supportive role, but he also had no idea what we were in for.

Enter Megan, our angel and saving grace. Megan immediately became our coach and biggest cheerleader. She instructed B on what his role would be and what he needed to do to help me through this. She assured me I was going to be able to do this and how things were overall going to work. All this happened in a matter of minutes, not seconds. In the midst of chaos, she was our guide. Our mantra, as a couple is we’re going to do this life. Meaning even if we don’t have training or aren’t prepared, we are going to be able to do this. Megan and the rest of the delivery team embraced this and supported us. They helped us understand what was going on and what was going to happen. They laughed with us at our terrible jokes, reassured me in moments of pure panic, and celebrated when D finally was delivered. Megan let me squeeze her hand (so hard, I’m sorry) and talked me through the pain of contractions. She assured me everything was going to work out when I expressed concerns about the lack of prenatal care. She convinced me she did not hold it against me that she didn’t get a nap even though I think I apologized to her every other sentence. (I’m still really sorry).

She celebrated with us when D came out and we heard his first cries. She alleviated our fears when they rushed him over to the NICU. She was by my side while they fixed me up. She helped me stand up for the first time and talked me through going to the bathroom and personal care. Heck, she even participated in some of our phone calls to family to verify that we were not, in fact, joking and just had a baby. Now, I understand that to an extent this is what her job entails, but I feel in this circumstance Megan went above and beyond.

To a couple of terrified, delivering patients, her kindness and grace got us through what could probably qualify us for a time slot on TLC. We were able to see Megan before we were discharged, and I was so happy to get a chance to debrief our delivery because there are some moments that are a little hazy. We will forever hold the Doctors and Megan in our hearts for being there for us and are eternally grateful for their compassion and dedication to their profession.